Neon

On Neon you create the login yourself, because Neon only accepts a plain password when creating a role. Rowsend’s setup SQL then creates a view and lets that role read it.

1. Create a role

In Neon’s SQL editor, run this with a long password of your own:

create role rowsend login password 'a-long-password';

2. Copy the connection string

1. In Neon, click Connect and copy the connection string.
2. Replace neondb_owner and its password with rowsend and the password you just set.

In Rowsend, open Contacts, click Connect a database, choose Neon and paste it. Click Continue.

Either the pooled or the direct host works. Rowsend always connects to the direct one, because a sync reads through a cursor, which Neon’s pooler can’t hold.

3. Choose what Rowsend reads

Pick a table and its email and last-changed columns, join a second table if you like, and tick any extra columns. The select must return id, email and updated_at. See How syncing works.

4. Run the setup SQL

Click Copy SQL, then run it in Neon’s SQL editor as the database owner. It creates a rowsend schema with a contacts view and lets the rowsend role read it. It creates no login.

5. Test and connect

Click Test and connect. Rowsend first checks that the role can’t write: it refuses a superuser, a role with pg_write_all_data, a role that owns tables, or one with write grants. Then it syncs.

Rowsend saves this login on your computer, encrypted with your system keychain.